Black, White, and Red
by Irasst
Summary: Individuals that appear to be very different on the surface may have more in common than they think. The back stories of Ahri and Riven, and the development of their relationship in the present. Rated M for violence and future sexual content.
1. The Black and White Fox

A scream pierced through the air, followed by groan and the sound of a soft body hitting the earth. Ahri had been trying to escape from a surprise attack from LeBlanc, who drained half her health before Ahri dashed into the jungle, only to be caught by a white-haired woman wielding a giant, broken sword. Riven may have slain her this time, but Ahri had been punishing in lane, and had gotten a couple of kills off the female warrior earlier in the battle.

As Ahri waited to be reincarnated, she could see through her summoner's eyes the slender figure that wielded a sword, which reforged, was easily the length of the killer. And yet, Riven controlled the long sword with great control and ease, her dance as elegant and graceful as Ahri's name.

But it was the eyes of the slightly shorter woman which piqued Ahri's interest. Deep red eyes, darkened to a hue of dried blood, and fringing on brown seemed to stare right through Ahri as she delivered blow after punishing blow. They brought back a memory that Ahri would never forget.

There was once a time when Ahri roamed the forests of Ionia, not as the lithe young woman that she appeared to be now, but as a small, sleek fox brimming with magical energy. One day she witnessed a battle between what she know understood as an invasion of soldiers from Nexus onto Ionian land. Soldiers on both sides cut each other down, a sea of metal moving and crashing upon itself in a terrible symphony of death. As Ahri sat on her hill, she could not distinguish one warrior from the next; all humans looked the same. But then, her attention was drawn to one lone figure that seemed to stand out; a slim figure clad in armor, but instead of a metal helmet, a green hood covered its face. It took a mighty, one-handed swing of a massive sword above it before using the combined strength of both arms to bring a blow down on three soldiers that cut right through them and exploded on the ground that sent debris flying into the air. In its lunge forward, the hood had slipped back, and white hair, tied into a bun that flayed upwards seemed to shine in silver, black, and bloodied sea.

But Ahri was not very interested in the human. She could tell that the battle would be ending soon. A bald man with a huge tank strapped to his back began running around the field, a queer gas seeping from it. All of a sudden, people were dropping like flies, men caught in the poisonous trail coughing up blood before collapsing on the ground.

In time, all the fighting figures had either fled or were dead. When the bald man left, Ahri could see one figure struggling to stand on the battlefield. The glimmer of a spell hovered around its body, having been used to shield the caster from the worst of the gas, but it was too late. The human had probably already inhaled too much.

Ahri had always been interested in humans, but common knowledge stated that approaching one would be dangerous and foolish. But this time, with only the one dying man in sight, Ahri felt not only safe, but an odd compulsion to approach him. Careful of any lingering gas, Ahri bounded to the dying man. When she approached him, she suddenly felt a rush of energy rush out of her body and envelop the man. In a brilliant display of green light, the energy rushed back to her, and Ahri was filled with brimming power. Exhilarated by the experience, she erupted in a series of tremors that took over her entire body before she collapsed on the bloody ground, exhausted.

When Ahri awoke, a full moon was high in the sky. Something long and silky brushed past her face and pooled on the ground in front of her. When Ahri moved to touch it, she discovered that she had not the paws that she was accustomed to, but smooth, hairless human hands, skin as pale and luminescent as the moon that shone above her. Delighted, Ahri realized that she had assumed the shape of the bodies that lay crumpled on the ground around her, and she knew that she had absorbed the life's essence from the now stone-cold corpse in front of her.

Ahri struggled to stand, only to lose her balance and land on all fours. She tried again, and this time managed to support her own weight on two slender legs. Wobbling slightly, she placed one foot in front of another. Then another. Gaining confidence with each step, she was soon running, stumbling occasionally along the way towards a lake that she knew to be nearby. When she reached the shores of the clear water, reflective in the night, she looked over her entire body. She was not disappointed by the naked, lithe body that she saw, or gentle yet clear-cut features of her face. Streaming from her head were long locks of silky hair, black as the hair of the man who died to give her life. However, her moment of narcissism ended when she noticed that she still had her fox ears planted on top of her head, as well as long tail covered in her original white fur. From this, she knew her transformation was incomplete.

When a soft breeze that once would have gently ruffled Ahri's fur blew over the lake, instead of closing her eyes to enjoy the small comfort, Ahri shivered, realizing for the first time just how cold she was. Knowing that she needed to find clothes, Ahri stood to go back to the battlefield and scavenge some garments.

But when she rose fully, Ahri saw that she was not alone; a lone figure stood at the edge of the lake, several hundred meters down. Her hood had been ripped off and her armor had been removed to reveal white breast bindings. In her right hand, she gripped a large, broken, sword. Scattered around her were shards of broken black metal. Her hair was wet, and although she stood in a somewhat threatening pose, Ahri could only notice the young woman's eyes. The moon shone on the figure, making her hair, as white as Ahri's fox fur had been, shine like a beacon. Beneath her the jagged tips of her hair were eyes lit up by the moon, blood red and terrifying. And they were directed right at Ahri.

For a while, neither woman moved. Then, common sense flooded back to Ahri, hitting her with full force. Fear filled her body, and she dashed from that place, diving into nearby bushes, and then kept on running. After all, she had just seen what this warrior could do in battle, and although broken, her sword could still slice her new body into two.

Little did she know that this would not be the last time she would see the lonely sword-bearing woman.


	2. And Then She Began to Eat

After the battle on summoner's rift, the members of both teams were transported to a lobby where some refreshments were being served to the mentally exhausted summoners and physically exhausted champions. The match had lasted over an hour, and was packed with countless back-and-forth fights. In the end, Ahri's team had lost, but she did not care at all. She had bagged almost half of her team's kills in the end, and had collected enough souls to keep her human for weeks. Nearby, streams of minions grumbled about their repeated deaths, and how they never stood a chance against champions.

"They kill me in one shot", one of the purple caster minions complained. "But just wait. I'm going to train every day, and when I grow up, I'm going to become just like Karthus".

Ahri giggled at the minion's ranting, and turned her attention to the biscuits, crackers and other finger foods laid out on the table at the front. But to her horror, waves upon waves of ravenous minions deprived from sustenance for more than an hour swept through the food, and devoured the consumables right before her eyes.

Ears drooped and whimpering, the nine-tailed fox turned to head to the exit, when the tiny hairs on the back of her neck prickled. Instinctively, she turned her head slightly to the left, and caught sight of bronze skin and ivory hair. Blood red eyes bored into the Ahri, making her feel naked. Riven glared at Ahri intensely, for a reason that Ahri could not understand. What had she done to earn this woman's hatred? It was always like this. Riven would glare at Ahri, never backing down. It reminded Ahri of their first encounter, bringing her back to a time when she was still a nervous little fox.

Ahri broke eye contact, and with all her spirit, rushed out of the lobby to gather her payment for the match outside. Some individuals joined the league of legends for fame and fortune. Ahri had joined the league to absorb life essences to stay human, but the gold was a welcome bonus. She no longer had to scavenge for food, or con people out of their possessions. Since the match was particularly long, Ahri received a fair chunk of change, despite her loss. Pleased by the amount, Ahri headed to the fanciest area in the city, serving the priciest cuisine. The fox had developed very expensive tastes since she assumed human form.

* * *

The newly-turned human fox ran as fast as she could through the forest, as nude as a newborn baby. She ran for hours, driven by the fear of the woman with blood red eyes. By the time her adrenaline faded, the sun was starting to rise, and the hours of sprinting had taken its toll. Ahri's slender legs trembled and gave way before her, sending her head first into thick mud. The concoction of water and soil was cold to the touch, but felt warm to Ahri. Coated in sweat and dirt, Ahri closed her eyes, and gave herself to the sweet temptation of death-like sleep.

When she next opened her eyes, Ahri found herself in a hard bed, covered in an itchy fabric. But despite her discomfort, she found herself to be truly warm for the first time since she had lost her furry coat. Sighing to herself, her ears drooped, and took note of every sore muscle in her body. Her pathetic human body felt too weak to move.

The ceiling above her was made of crudely cut wood, and to her side, there was a small window that was scratched to the point of being almost opaque, but Ahri could still make out the shape of a few trees in the distance.

"So, yerr finally awake, arr yerr?"

The deep, hoarse voice startled Ahri, and if it were not for her muscles' refusal to move, would have caused her to sprint another marathon. Golden eyes, open as wide as they went, resembled the most exquisite of gold saucers as they stared at the person who had probably saved her life.

"Dern't werry dere, sweet pie. ah wern't hurt ya". The man was huge, but had a back that seemed to be perpetually bent over. He wore rough linen clothes that had been torn and repaired countless times over.

"Ah found yerr outside, close to meh fields. Poor little thang, barely breathin', yerr was. Ah took yerr in merself."

Ahri stared. Who was this man? Although she could not understand the human language, she felt that his mannerisms and speech were very rough. The fox in her was frozen.

"Yerr murst beh hungry. Ah made yerr some porridge. It's sitting on the stove right dere." He gestured widely to an area behind him. Then, he reached forward and took a lock of Ahri's pitch black hair between his callused fingers. He gently worked to take out a piece of dried mud.

"Ah is sure, yerr is da pretty lady under all that mud. Back in mah day, I was quite a pretty man merrself. Ah had a babay girl, beautiful little thang. If she lived to grow to be yerr age, she might've looked a tad bit like yerr, ah mean, without the ears and tail an' all dat..." He leaned over and stroked the side of her face.

"C- can ah hold yerr? Her mommy took her away from meh. A-a-ah just wanna see what it feels like". The giant of a man then roughly enveloped Ahri in a massive bear hug, tears seeping out of the corners of his eyes. It was not his daughter, he knew, but a man could pretend, right?

Ahri squeezed her eyes shut. _He wants to hurt me_. Crippling fear streamed through her body, and a queer feeling rushed through her. The adrenaline providing the fear had filled her frozen body with energy, but in an instant, it all seemed to rush out of her, making her feel empty. A split second later, she heard a sharp intake of air, and the energy rushed back into her body. When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded in a green aura, and she felt whole again. Her muscles stopped complaining, as if they were never overused. Then, a thump.

The old giant of a man collapsed on top of her. Ahri listened hard. He wasn't breathing. _I must have killed him_, she thought. Ahri let out a sigh of relief. She slipped out from under the heavy body, and climbed out of the bed.

She padded over to the stove where she could smell the aroma of a rich, slightly sweet food. Excited, she stuck her whole hand into the pot. Searing pain overwhelmed her senses, causing her to retract her burning hand in a hurry. Whimpering, Ahri gingerly licked her wounds, which started to swell into angry, red blisters.

Even though she was in pain, her stomach still complained. Ahri stripped the dead man of his clothes and draped them over her nude form.

And then she began to eat.


	3. Food and Sleep

Following her victory, Riven was teleported to the end-game lobby, where she instantly made a bee-line for the table of baked goodies. However, she was abruptly stopped by a furry blue creature, almost tall enough to reach her knees.

"We were pretty evenly matched during the laning phase, weren't we Riven?" Rumble started. "It's unfortunate that my team lost coordination in the end."

Normally, Riven would try to be polite, but her stomach was complaining. She tried her best to keep eye contact with the yordle, but was only able to keep her right eye fixed downwards on him, as her left eye expertly directed itself to the side, making Riven resemble a chameleon. "Oh yes, close..." she mumbled.

"I know we don't have much in common, but I felt that we had a bit of a connection out there today. I'd fancy it if we could be friends?"

"Friends? Oh, um, yeah, ok..." Riven absentmindedly replied, slowly inching her way to the crackers. Rumble's face lit up with joy.

"Really?! You mean it?! Ok, well I've always been meaning to ask a friend this! You see, I kind of have this thing for a girl. She's this lovely shade of blue, and her hair is just like yours! White, always a little messy – but in a charming way of course! But I don't think she likes me back..." Rumble continued excitedly, but Riven was not in the mood.

"Yeah, Rumble? Why don't you tell me some other time? I have business to take care of", said Riven, suddenly resolved to make it to her destination.

"I understand", said Rumble. "Why don't we meet for lunch sometime tomorrow? I have so much to tell you about this girl..."

"Sounds good, see you", said Riven as she made a mad dash for the crackers.

As she approached the table, to her everlasting despair, waves of minions (presumably including many that she had just slaughtered) exacted their revenge, and cleared the table of all snacks.

Riven's face crunched into a disapproving frown, and she glared angrily at the minions. Somewhere in her field of view, she saw a fox standing next to the table. She probably managed to snag a few cookies! Well, Riven was not going to let Ahri off the hook for being so lucky, was she? So, Riven turned her attention to Ahri and glared at her with the fury of a thousand suns. To her satisfaction, Ahri paled, and bolted through the door. Ha! This time, Riven had won.

Her stomach was still empty though, so she left the lobby, declined payment, and headed to the League's cafeteria. The food was simple, but the prices were reasonable. Riven worked her way through a loaf of bread accompanied by tomato soup. Plain as the food was, it was still a luxury compared to the stale biscuits and watery onion soup that she consumed every day as a soldier when she still served under Noxus.

Following her simple dinner, Riven headed to her assigned room in the dormitories held in the eastern wing. Her black and red Noxian room lacked any personal touch whatsoever. It contained the original bed and sheets that were provided with the room, and had the standard private washroom attached, complete with a shower and toilet.

Fatigued from the match, Riven undressed, dumping her bloody clothes and armour in the middle of her floor. She showered quickly and lay down in her bed without drying herself. She stretched her sore limbs, causing remaining droplets of water to stream over old, but prominent scars. Then, she covered herself with her blankets, laid her head with her still-wet hair on her pillow, and drifted to sleep instantly.

* * *

"Here you are, Miss. Bon appétit". The waiter placed down several silver platters, balanced expertly on his left arm, on the table in front of Ahri. The high class, Noxian restaurant had black walls, draped in banners of gold and crimson. The Noxian crest hung above a roaring fireplace. The flickering light from the fire danced across axe, hammer, and sword. The skull seem to come alive, reminding those who saw it that Noxus commanded respect through strength and fear.

Ahri preferred the Ionian style and colours, but she adored Noxian food nevertheless. Noxian food was rich in meat and flavour, much unlike the light, mostly vegetarian Ionian diet, with its subtle flavours.

Before her lay a roast goose, stuffed with bread crumbs, fried onions, garlic, and other assorted spices. There were several rabbit haunches gleaming from the oils of their own fats that they were cooked in, and a whole forest boar with skin sanded down and rubbed in mint leaves. On the side lay a pile of flat bread that could be used to sop up any remaining grease, or to scoop up the dipping sauce made from the spiciest of Noxian chillies that lay on Ahri's right side. The combined aroma from all the dishes wafted gently upwards, and assaulted Ahri's senses. As she stared at her prize and reached for her cutlery, a thick line of drool escaped from the corner of her mouth, in which she quickly brushed off with her sleeve.

Ahri liked to gorge herself to the point of bursting with each meal, but ate infrequently in between. She could go several days without eating, but she always needed to replenish her fuel sources after a league match.

As Ahri fed, she had to resist the impulse to tear into the steaming flesh with her fingers, and smother her face in the delectable meat juices. Handling her inhibitions got easier with practice. She could take her time. The table was magically enhanced to keep all the dishes placed on it warm for hours.

It took her three hours to finish the massive meal that was easily three times her weight. As she set down her fork and knife (typical Noxian cutlery; large enough to be wielded as weapons), and wiped herself free of any remaining residue, she was surprised by the manager of the restaurant carrying a small plate holding a rich, dark chocolate tart.

"A special treat, for my best customer".

Ahri did not say anything in return as he set down the plate in front of her, but instead, hid her lips behind her fingers as she giggled, her eyes never leaving his face. She reached for a clean napkin and held it against her lips, and pressed the resulting lipstick imprint into the palm of his hand. The manager's face muscles remained stationary, but he could not hold back his blush, which spread over his face and neck.

"Please, enjoy yourself, and think of us next time", he managed to squeeze out, without his normal, smooth drawl. Then, he strode away, with just a bit of a skip to his walk.

Ahri's room was located in the southern wing, which housed champions who hailed from Ionia. The northern wing was assigned to champions from Freljord, and was always a scary area to venture, due to the high-strung tension between the three main warring Freljordian factions. The eastern wing held all the champions from Noxus, and as if to separate the two as much as possible, the Demacians slept in the western wing of the institute.

All the other champions from various places in Runeterra had rooms in the main building of the institute. The individuals that posed no threat to society lived in the high towers, earning the best views. Individuals that were highly unstable and dangerous, and forced to fight as champions (for various reasons) in the league were imprisoned in the deepest dungeons of the institute.

Ahri's room was clean, but simple in design. She felt no emotional connection to Ionia as a city-state, despite being born there, but she furnished her room with Ionian style anyhow. Her bed sheets were white, and her blanket red as her dress. She had a simply designed dresser opposite of a body-length mirror pushed against the center wall of the room. Red, silk drapes with various patterns and inscriptions hung on her walls, in stunning contrast against the white walls that were painted with swirling waves of texture.

Ahri stripped off her clothes and dumped them in a chute that led to the southern wing's incinerator. She had not bothered changing before going out to the fancy restaurant for dinner, and her clothes were filled tears and holes, worn from the heat of battle. Since her method of killing did not involve physically touching her opponent, the blood that soaked the tattered ruins of her outfit was mostly her own.

Ahri enjoyed a long soak in a fragrant bath, in which she had added expensive oils that not only smelled good, but left her ivory skin smooth to the touch. Afterwards, she lay sprawled out under her blankets as she brushed out her damp hair with a white mahogany brush. When she was done, she wrapped her nine tails around her body, and drifted to sleep instantly.


	4. The Reason she Joined the League

When Riven got out of bed, the sun had just begun to rise. She tumbled out of bed and immediately began her morning routine.

She entered her bathroom and splashed her face with cold water.

She went to her almost empty dresser in the corner, and pulled on a rough tunic and beige pair of leggings.

She headed to the institute's training grounds to practice for a couple of hours.

She ate breakfast in the cafeteria. Where a few other champions and summoners were groggily munching on eggs, sausages, and pancakes, she chewed a piece of toast in her favourite flavour: plain.

She then went to deep into the institute, past many security guards stationed to keep out non-champions. A large room in the centre of the building was lined with bookshelves, filled with books and documents detailing the political history of Valoran ever since the Rune Wars started. Here, champions could learn about the causes they chose to fight for, if they should choose to spend countless hours mulling through the information that demonstrated how complicated living in societies could be.

Riven did not come to read, but to sign up for a league match as she did every day. A middle aged official sat in a chair, arms folded, clearly bored with his job. In front of him lay a table filled with folders and portfolios of conflicts that needed to be settled with battles on the fields of justice. There were over one hundred folders, each packed with information on the parties involved, the issue at hand, and why the issue could not be solved through diplomatic discussion.

Riven chose the nearest case that was scheduled for the evening, and signed her name under the first column of five lines. The official nodded at Riven once, acknowledging her choice. As she turned to leave, she bumped face first into the chest plate of a hovering angel.

Riven could see Kayle's disapproving eyes between the slits of her golden helmet.

"Why did you join the league, Exile?" Kayle started abruptly.

Riven did not reply.

"Do you even know whom you chose to fight for today?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. Only the strong survive".

Kayle's brow furrowed, but the action went unseen due to her helmet. "What does that even mean?" When Riven provided no answer, Kayle continued. "I have read almost everything in this room. I know details about every city-state and their leaders. Their goals, their desires, the histories of conflict. When I sign up for matches, I need to know who I am fighting for, and that their actions are justified."

Riven started walking towards the door, shrugging off Kayle's hand when she placed it on her shoulder.

Kayle flew over Riven and blocked the exit with her body. "I know a lot of champions choose sides without fully understanding the issue. But at least they try to make a judgement. I know you do not, so how about I help you? I can give you summaries of the cases and my opinions about why you should help whom?"

"No", Riven replied, crossing her arms over her breast.

"Then why did you bother to join the league?" Kayle asked again. "Would you like me to tell you about the ongoing Noxian conflicts? You used to command for them, correct?"

"I am here to fight", Riven said quickly, but without emotion. She then pushed Kayle to the side with an unexpectedly strong right arm, which was accustomed to controlling a sword many times heavier than Kayle.

Kayle let Riven go, and shook her head at Riven's retreating figure.

"What a simple person".

* * *

Riven was headed to her room with the intention of spending the whole afternoon preparing mentally and physically for the match that she had signed up for. However, she was stopped by Rumble, who had to jump around her knees to get her attention.

"Ah! Riven! I was looking all over for you!"

"Do you have some sort of business with me?" Rumble's heart sank at the choice of words and Riven's cold tone.

"Y-you promised to share a meal with me today, you know, as friends? H-have you lunched yet?" Riven recalled the events from the day before, and realized that she had indeed agreed to this request. She would have preferred to spend the day by herself, but Riven always kept her promises.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Sorry about that, I would be happy to have lunch with you".

Rumble immediately brightened, and reached as high as he could to take Riven's hand into his furry paw. "Excellent! I made a reservation for us at a lovely little bistro that has an outdoor patio. The weather is nice today, isn't it?"

As Rumble lead Riven by hand out of the main building of the institute, she politely replied to his statements with single-worded pleasantries.

* * *

Ahri woke at around noon, when the sun was high overhead and no longer shone into her room. Her room had a window that faced the east, and any rays entering the room bounced around the white walls to fill the room with comforting warmth. Now that the room was devoid of sunlight, it had become just a few degrees cooler, which roused Ahri from her slumber.

She lazily rose on all fours, and stretched out her limbs, her nine tails fanning out above her head. Belly filled with food, and brimming with energy released upon death (that she had accumulated from the evening before), Ahri was unmotivated to do anything but nap for the whole day.

Desiring a change of location, Ahri went to her favourite place to nap, a garden maintained by Leona that was filled with enormous sunflowers, which would not have grown to such a ridiculous height if they were raised anywhere else. A few trees scattered the garden, casting comforting shade during the hottest hours of the day.

Before Ahri left her room, she picked out the clothes that she would wear for the day. A mostly white robe, made from the finest of silks. It was decorated with swirling stripes of red that perfectly accented the lines of Ahri's body. She had purchased the article recently, and had yet to wear it. With practised fingers, she braided her long hair leisurely, before leaving for the garden.

* * *

Riven sat opposite of Rumble, listening to him chatter about the charms of a certain female yordle, which he refused to disclose the name for, but Riven was certain it was similar to the name Rumble assigned to his mech suit.

Rumble had ordered a large steak and milkshake for each of them, despite Riven's objections, insisting that he would pay for both of them.

As he chatted away, Riven began her practice that she was starting to master, thanks to Rumble, of leaving one eye on him, while the other scanned her surroundings from disinterest. The wandering eye noticed a certain nine-tailed fox arrive to the garden that was opposite of the bistro, and snuggle under her tails in the shade of a maple tree.

Riven directed her full attention (and both of her eyeballs) to the creature. Usually, she gave little notice to the fox, but something about it today was unsettling.

Nearby, Leona was tending to her sunflowers. Her face was upturned to the sun and her lips moved silently, as if she were talking to someone. Light was radiating from her body, pulsing, as if controlled by the beating of Leona's heart. The sunflowers surrounding her dipped towards her body, listening to her concert, a silent aria that only plants seemed to hear.

As such, it started to get very hot in the area, and Ahri was finding it difficult to stay asleep. Lazily, she began to flap her tails, generating a cool breeze to drive away the angry beads of sweat that struggled from her skin.

Ahri's tails periodically revealed her face and body to Riven, who stared at her, suddenly startled.

Riven had seen that face before, before she came to the institute, even before she stared down Ahri on that fateful night that changed her life. The red swirls on Ahri's dress seemed to come alive in the heat, and suddenly Riven felt dizzy and slightly nauseous.

She had been staring for so long, that Rumbled finally realized that Riven was not paying attention, and followed her line of sight.

"Ahri, huh?" He said, his yordle eyebrows wiggling on his forehead. "I guess she's pretty, but she's not quite my cup of tea. A little too furry, and not blue enough, in my opinion".

The sound of Ahri's name drew Riven's attention. "Huh? What, no, she... um." Riven did her best to keep a certain girl's face out of her mind, a face that haunted her memories.

From the next table, an eavesdropping Cassiopeia leaned over and whispered to Rumble and Riven.

"It would be unwisssssse to asssssssociate with the fox", the Serpent's Embrace mumbled, her long, forked tongue tasting the air around the yordle and human.

"Why?" asked Rumble.

"She eats the ssssssouls of men. Tricky little pet, she isss."

"Cass!" Katarina chided across the table from her sister. "How many times have I told you? You don't need to eavesdrop anymore! You fight for Noxus now", she said, putting special emphasis on "fight".

"Ssssssorry ssssissss. But there isss nothing wrong with a little bit of gossssip, right?"

Katarina rolled her eyes. "I absolutely hate gossip." She turned towards Riven and Rumble. "Don't listen to her, guys. I've read up about Ahri. She's harmless now. I'm sure she's seeking some sort of redemption now. She has a bit of a dark past, but she's trying to move forward.

Cassiopeia laughed. Perhaps, it was less of a laugh and more like steam escaping from a kettle. Her eyes closed into slits, and she wriggled her tongue between closed lips at her sister.

"Hate gossssip, huh, ssssissss?"

Katarina humphed and crossed her arms over her chest, admitting defeat.

Riven shifted in her seat, uncomfortable in Katarina's presence. This action did not go unnoticed by Cassiopeia's keen eyes.

"You ssseem to be doing well, Riven. Ssssself-imposed exile sssseemsss to be working in your favour". Katarina immediately jumped on the opportunity.

"Of course, you're welcome to come back anytime, Riven. You were one of our best. You have to understand that the command to mobilize Singed saved us from certain defeat. If you're still angry that we were willing to sacrifice you..."

"I'm not" interrupted Riven, rising to her feet. All eyes turned on her. She tightened her jaw. "My beliefs remain the same, but my priorities have changed. For the time being, I will not return to Noxus." With that, she left the area leaving an awkward-feeling Rumble to enjoy dessert all by himself.

That evening, Riven fought in the league match she had signed up for in the morning. She represented Bandle City against the Institute itself. The yordles were furious against the Institute, accusing officials that they were intentionally depriving yordles of sufficient amounts of yogurt.

Riven put her heart into the battle, as usual, lending her strength for the silly cause that the yordles took too seriously. Nobody chose to fight for the Institute, deciding that the issue was not worth their time, so the Institute had to fill their roster with champions that were imprisoned for various reasons. In this particular match, Riven faced Brand, Cho'Gath, Fiddlesticks, Kog'Maw, and Renekton.

Riven performed well, but it was more the passion-filled hearts of the yordles Tristana, Lulu, Ziggs, and Poppy that won the battle. The victory would force the institute to ship in as much yogurt as the yordles demanded, which apparently, would cost the city hundreds of thousands of additional gold a year.

When Riven went to bed that night, she found that for the first time in a while, she could not sleep. She twisted and turned in bed for hours, wringing the blankets and sheets together in a huge mess. Exhausted, Riven covered her eyes with a forearm and sighed. Just before her brain took pity on her, and granted Riven a night of troubled sleep, Kayle's image flashed behind her eyelids.

"_Why did you join the league?"_


	5. A Dream

_Only the strong survive._

Riven stood alone, completely nude. She could not see the ground she stood on, the air was so heavy with blackness she could not see the hands she held centimetres from her eyes.

_Only the strong survive. _

Suddenly Riven was blinded, her body emitting light from every centimetre of skin.

From the shadows that was beyond the reach of Riven's light, stepped a girl, younger than Riven now, but older than her when they first met.

_Only the strong survive._

"Why did you join the league?" she whispered, so quietly, Riven had to strain in order to hear her.

"Who are y-", Riven stopped. She did not need to hear the answer; she already knew who she was.

_Only the strong survive._

The girl took a step closer to Riven, bringing her body closer to the light. Long, black hair streamed down her sides, clothes torn apart. Riven knew the girl was watching at her, even though her face was completely smooth: in place of eyes, nose, and mouth was just a smooth surface, as round as the side of an egg.

_Only the strong survive._

"Do you know what you have done?"

"Only the strong survive", muttered Riven.

"Do you know what you made us do?"

"Only the STRONG survive", Riven repeated, although she stared at her feet when she said it.

"Then what happens to the weak? The defenceless? The young? The elderly? The ones that choose to avoid violence, believing that it would make the world a better place?"

"What a typical Ionian speech", Riven growled, her feet looking more interesting with each passing moment.

_Only the strong survive._

Silence stretched between the two young women.

_Only the strong survive._

The girl took a step towards Riven. Riven stared at her hands.

The girl took another step towards Riven. Riven blinked, and suddenly her hands were covered in blood. Startled, Riven finally looked up at the girl.

_Only the strong survive._

"S-s-stay away", Riven gasped. The girl's face now had two giant black holes for eyes, empty sockets that stared down Riven.

The girl took another step.

"Only the strong survive". Blood started to seep out of the holes where eyes should have been, two rivers of red streaming down snow white skin. The viscous liquid rolled off the edge of her face in masses and disappeared as they hit the ground, forgotten by the world forever.

_Only the strong survive._

Riven buried her face behind her bloody hands, rubbing guilt and shame all over her face and hair. To her horror, she realized that she could see through her hands. Her world turned blood red, and she could see the girl, walking towards her now. A gaping abyss of a mouth had grown on her face, perpetually open in a silent scream.

_ONLY the strong survive._

Skin contorting, the pits for her eyes slowly rotated in a circular motion across the girl's face, blood gushing out to paint her face in her misery.

_ONLY the STRONG survive._

The girl's face was now covered in red, and her empty mouth sprouted jagged white teeth. Her soulless orbs, filled with hate, merged with her mouth, creating an enormous void that engulfed her face, the teeth now in circular rows that continued deep into her throat.

_ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE._

Riven's entire body shook, in fear, in pain, in guilt, in self-loathing. The girl was now standing directly in front of Riven. Her body was melting into something that was no longer human. Blobs of black, oily goo bubbled out of the pores of her skin that erupted like small volcanoes. One by one, the boils popped and hissed, until there was no longer any skin left on the body. The remnants, pieces of white specks were washed away in the torrent of black sludge. The monster grew in size until the mouth was positioned over Riven's head.

"No, no, no, no, no,", came the girl's voice. Riven collapsed onto her knees. "No more, please." Horrified, Riven realized that the words, in her victim's voice, were coming from Riven's mouth. She struggled to find her own voice, trying desperately to remember what it even sounded like.

"ONLY THE STRONG SURVIVE!" she finally managed to scream.

Disappointed, the monster engulfed Riven's entire body in a single motion, and brought its teeth crashing together, crunching Riven's bones, entrails spilling from every new orifice ripped asunder.

Silence.

Riven stood, her white hair matted with sweat, and her naked body slick with blood.

Ahri stood across from her. Her face was strikingly similar to a certain girl's, a girl who had been taken from her pacifist father as a babe, forcibly trained by her mother to fight against Noxus for Ionia. The white fox was wearing a red dress.

The engulfing blackness absorbed the white and red, eating it, transforming it, and giving birth to even more darkness.

_Only the strong survive?_

* * *

_**A/N: If you had trouble understanding Riven's dream, I suggest you read her league judgement.**_


	6. Harmless Misunderstandings

"MONSTER!"

Ahri was startled awake by the sound. Instincts kicked in with full force, and she leapt headfirst into a nearby hole that was probably dug by a badger at some point. Unfortunately, although it was true that she was also considerably larger than before, the gods had graced her with perhaps too generous of an hourglass figure, and her hips got stuck in the entrance, where the rest of her body was fine.

This, however, was not a problem realized by Ahri, and the newly-turned fox-like human used all her wisdom from past experience to stay as still as possible. If she stayed hidden, the threat would go away. _"If I cannot see you, you cannot see me"_, she thought erroneously.

Outside the hole, stood a confused, young boy who just stared at the pile of white tails connected above two perfectly rounded butt cheeks. When Ahri dressed herself, she did not manage to think to take any pants, as the giant tunic she removed from the man she killed was long enough to reach her knees. She also did not think to make a point of exit for her tails, which made the fabric ride up above the furry protrusions.

Behind the boy, an elderly woman approached the scene, wobbling from side-to-side as she attempted to find solid footing, the gnarled branch of a cane she used almost useless in the soft earth that swallowed the thin object.

"Do we kill it?" he asked. In his tiny hands, he dragged a giant, single-edged sword that he could not possibly lift until he at least grew its length. The old woman paused for a full minute, inspecting the white tails, counting each one.

"No, child, we have come across a very rare creature".

"What is it, old lady? Can we eat it?"

"My grandmother used to tell me stories about the animals and spirits that lived in these forests, but this is the first time I have ever seen one. A fox, and not just any ordinary one. White fur, nine tails, this is a fox that has lived 1000 years."

If Ahri could understand human speech, she might have put the old woman in her place. She was nowhere near 1000 years old, which was something of an arbitrary number anyway. In any case, she did not understand humans, nor did humans understand her.

"It's older than you then, huh, old lady?"

"My grandmother told me that nine-tailed foxes are powerful, magical creatures. Long ago, a fox taught a girl from a village not far from here, how to summon an entire army that defeated her foes."

"It sounds dangerous".

"Don't worry child, even though no living person has seen one, my grandmother said that foxes are extremely intelligent, merciful, benevolent creatures. They would never directly hurt a human, but if it hears our stories, maybe it could help our people".

"So it can teach us how to defeat the Noxians, then? It's good I didn't kill it right away, I was just about to". The little boy tried to demonstrate his killing ability, and put his entire body weight into lifting his sword, but was only able to lift it half a centimetre off the ground. When the sword fell back down, he leaned back on the hilt, wiping his brow, and tried to catch his breath. "See? It's lucky, isn't it?"

The elderly woman, rested a wrinkled hand on the boy's shoulder, and when he looked up at her, she put a finger against her lips. The boy did not understand why, but he obeyed, and did not move or speak.

In her hole, several minutes passed since Ahri last heard anything. Deciding it was safe, she used her tails as leverage to drag her body out of the hole. Rearing onto her two legs, she turned around and froze. One human... two humans...

_"Oh holy fox spirit, nobody told me they could multiply!"_ Frightened by the supposedly mysterious powers of the human, the adrenaline pumping through her body was intense enough to let Ahri jump straight up to an overhanging tree branch several metres in the air. She caught the branch with the inside of her arms, and flailed her legs about helplessly, as she tried to hoist herself up.

Down below, the old woman covered the boy's eyes with her hands.

When Ahri finally managed to get on top of the branch, she pressed her back against the thick, sturdy, trunk of the tree, and coiled her tails around the branch, covering her indecency, and allowing the old woman release her hold on the boy.

Ahri did not normally climb trees, and feeling a little shaky from the height, she got on her elbows and knees to cling on with all four limbs.

_"I must be safe up here. Perhaps humans cannot climb trees"._

Despite the height, Ahri felt safer, and took the moment of calmness to observe her "attackers". She then realized her mistake. This was not one human that split into two (although they were both so small, it seemed very possible). The larger one had thick skin that looked tree bark and wispy white hair, where the smaller one had smooth skin and dark hair. Besides, if they wore different skins, there was no way any monster could make a kill, remove its epithelium, and don it so quickly! Ahri mentally congratulated herself on figuring out their trick, although she had to give them credit, since they did look so alike (to her).

But upon closer inspection, Ahri saw the boy's sword and the old woman's cane. Ahri changed her mind again. _"No! It's another trick! They're not even human! I KNOW humans don't have three legs!"_ If they were not human, then surely they were spirits, just playing a prank on her. Spirits were annoying, but they were also friends of the forest.

Smiling, she shook her head at her own foolishness. _"OK, OK, guys, you got me."_ She jumped down from her perch, just a few steps away from them. _"Who's hiding behind those masks? Si? Am? Is that you?"_ Her mental projections went unheard.

The old woman slowly reached into her pocket, took out an apple, and held it out to the fox.

Curious, Ahri approached her, sniffing at the fruit. _"What's that? Hey, why won't you talk to me? Are you mad at me? Did I eat one of your rabbit friends again? Honestly, it wasn't even my fault last time. They all look the same, and I said time and time again that you shouldn't choose friends that are so delicious."_

Slowly, the old woman handed the apple to the little boy, and reached up to scratch Ahri's chin, and behind her ears.

_"Ohhhhhh, that feels good"._ Ahri pushed her face into the old woman's hands, who continued to scratch and pet her until the fox lay down on the ground and rolled over to expose her belly, her mind clear of thoughts.

The old woman nodded at the boy, who nodded back. Kneeling next to the fox, the boy rubbed her tummy, making Ahri hum with contentment.

After a few minutes, the boy handed Ahri the apple. Ahri gratefully accepted the treat, and as she munched into it, the two started walking away towards the road where they had left their horse and cart. They made slow progress, as the old woman hobbled, and the young boy dragged the absurdly gigantic sword behind him. Ahri watched them as she finished her apple, waiting for their next move.

Then, the duo stopped, turned around, and the old woman stretched out her free arm, palm upturned towards the sky.

Ahri wasted not a moment longer, and bounded after her new friends.


	7. Warmth

Ahri's ears twitched and pointed towards a spot of forest floor, densely covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves. _There_.

In a massive burst of energy, Ahri leapt from a crouching position high into the air and came crashing down headfirst into the leaves. When she emerged, she was restraining a screaming rabbit, canines digging into the kicking animal's throat. She shifted her hold on the animal, until she found the right position to crush the rabbit's windpipe with her jaws.

When the rabbit finally stopped kicking its powerful hind legs, the proud fox carried the carcass back to a make-shift tree house where she now lived with her new family. It turned out that humans could climb trees after all, provided that a staircase was built.

Ahri sniffed out the little boy, napping in a corner, and dropped the kill in front of him, startling him into consciousness. The boy looked at the white fox, sitting on her haunches, grinning at him in a foxy kind of way, with all her bloodied teeth showing. The old woman was working nearby, making a mattress out of pine needles she had collected over the course of several weeks.

"Thanks, why don't you give it to the old lady. She can cook it for us later".

Ahri's smile disappeared, and she tilted her head, confused. When they started living together, the old woman and young boy had realized that the fox did not understand human speech, and were in the process of teaching her. Ahri had been learning extremely quickly, and was able to move her lips and tongue together to imitate all of the human language's phones, although she had yet to understand meaning.

In their first two weeks, when the woman and boy were not giving Ahri lessons, the fox in human form responded to everything they said with some combination of two sounds: "ar", and "ee".

"Good morning, little fox", the old woman said one day.

"Ee! EeEeEE!"

"Where did you run off to, little fox?" the boy asked another day.

"Ee ar ar aR".

"Little fox, dinner is ready!" It was as if the fox understood this phrase, because she always responded the same way, but nothing was for certain.

"aRRRRRRRRRRR!".

"Old lady! Look! Look how high I can raise the sword now!" the boy exclaimed excitedly after many days of hard work.

"Ar! EE", the fox congratulated from across the room.

The old woman and young boy did not address each other by name, but after a few days, realized that the fox responded better to her own sounds than, "little fox". So they decided to call her "Ahri", which was a common name for girls in Ionia, although (recalling the fox's hole incident and tree-climbing attempt) they did not think it suited her very well.

Then, to their despair, after a couple of weeks the old woman and young boy woke up to find that all their work was for naught, as they found a true fox, sleeping in place of the anthropomorphic version.

When Ahri reverted to her fox form, the old woman and young boy wondered what went wrong, but they still kept the fox, treating her as their own. Ahri did like the look of her human form, but quickly adjusted to living as a fox again. Now she was back to hunting, resulting in the corpse that lay next to the boy, its lifeless eyes staring right at him.

_"Is the pup not hungry?"_ she wondered. Then again, it was the first time she brought him fresh meat, so he must not have been able to handle it yet, she reasoned.

This was no problem for Ahri, as she had raised several kits of her own before. She curled her tongue back into her mouth, and started hacking, her body constricting periodically.

The fox had managed to catch and snack on a couple of field mice before finding the rabbit, figured the horrified boy, as he stared open-mouthed when Ahri regurgitated her last, half-digested meal at his feet.

"GROSS! I don't want to eat that! Old lady, do something about this!" The boy dashed across the room, tugging at the old woman's sleeve.

Ahri did not understand his words, but she did understand that she had been rejected. Disappointed that she was unable to teach the youngling how to eat properly, Ahri decided it would be best if she did not waste food. Looking up to make sure the boy was watching, she gave him full view of picking up the chunks of meat she had just thrown up, swallowing them whole, bits of bone and all. After all, how is a child to learn how to eat if you don't teach him properly?

The old woman laughed softly, and after she managed to pry the young boy off her side, she walked over to the fox, and placed a hand on top of her head.

"Now, now, dearie, if you keep eating raw meat, you might get sick." The old woman rubbed off a small amount of still-wet blood from Ahri's face with her hand. In turn, Ahri licked the blood off of the old woman's fingers. She looked up at the old woman, furry face covered in drying cakes of rabbit blood, and smiled.

The old woman sighed, took out an old, dirty handkerchief, and began rubbing the blood out of Ahri's fur. Ahri enjoyed the woman's touch, and her massive, nine tails waved back and forth as rapidly as they could go without lifting the fox off the ground.

When the old woman was done, she picked up the dead rabbit by its ears. "It has been a while since we've had meat. How about I give this a good roast, and you can see if you like it better? Now, help me down the stairs".

The old woman held an elbow out, an action in which Ahri understood. Ahri may not have had a human form anymore, but she was still a very big fox, and her luxurious fur made her appear twice as large as she actually was. When the old woman raised her elbow, Ahri knew to move under it, so the old woman could lean comfortably against the fox, supporting her weight.

The woman spent what felt like an eternity, to Ahri, cooking the rabbit. First she built a fire, which Ahri was automatically suspicious of. Then she prepared the rabbit and attached it to a stick, roasting the rabbit over the fire. She rotated the stick slowly so that the rabbit's fats melted into the meat. Ahri had never smelled anything like it. The young boy was also captivated and could not take his eyes off their meal.

The fox repeatedly tried to steal a bite from the work in progress, but the old woman kept on gently slapping her away. When she failed to stop the quick fox, Ahri stuck a soft nose directly into the fire, and withdrew immediately, yelping in pain. It felt like the time she stuck her defenceless human hand into the pot of boiling food, although Ahri could not recall seeing a fire then.

The boy pulled Ahri's head into his lap, and comforted the whimpering fox by placing a soft, feathery kiss on her nose.

When the rabbit was done, the sun had begun to set, and the air was becoming a little chilly. The three individuals huddled together for warmth, facing the fire as they shared their meal together. The meat was unseasoned and slightly blacked on the outside, but it was the best they had ever had.

"Here", the young boy said, hand-feeding Ahri a rabbit haunch. "This is the best part".

When they finished eating, the humans felt full for the first time in a long while, and they sat in silence, enjoying each other's company. Ahri let the young boy wrap his arms around her neck, and she spread her tails around the three of them, as if to protect them against the approaching darkness.

As they stared into the red fire, they tried to remember the last time they felt so warm. The little boy buried his face in Ahri's soft fur and began to weep.


End file.
